Hi Again, and thank you all for your lovely comments!

Hi! I hope I didn't cause anyone concern but I thought it better to ask Wendy to explain why I haven't been online in so long... I'm feeling better now. I guess it's just that time of year where there are a lot of contagions aroung but you'd never know it here in S. California! It's been sooo hot and kinda miserable out, like the middle of August. We're all pretty tired of it being the middle of August and are ready for it to at least feel like fall. I'd like a little WINTER myself!

Thanks for all your kind comments about the book and Wesley himself. I had no idea that the ending would be so SAD for people. I mean, I knew it was sad for me, of course, but I foolishly thought that if I said in the book that he was going to die so don't read any further if you don't want to read about it, that that would actually work. Silly of me, I know, because I always read the whole book no matter what the ending is.

We had a hard time even editing the chapter about Wesley's death of old age. None of us could get through it to edit it! Eventually, yes, it got done, but WOW it was hard. And yet, his death was as happy as the loss of your beloved could be. By that I mean that he wasn't taken tragically or early or violently. He died peacefully in my arms of old age. THANK GOD!

On another note, I went to a private school in San Juan Capistrano a few days ago and was completely blown away by the enthusiastic kids in the science program and the level of experimentation they were doing and their good manners and their passion for science. It was a relief, actually, to see that there IS a generation of serious scientists in the making. People sometimes think that science is boring but it's the opposite! It's just the constant pursuit of discovery, of learning how things work and why things are the way they are. To me it's been a life of never being bored because there is always so much more to figure out. So many questions! It's a constant adventure to be a scientist, and these kids got that. Wonderful! There is a great generation of kids coming up!

I hope that school animal clubs and other groups of kids interested in animals will check out the Roots and Shoots program through the Jane Goodall Institute. I think it's www.jgi.org . Her organization is loosely organized and any group of kids can form a Roots and Shoots group and do whatever project they come up with to help animals or their habitat. Some groups get in contact with each other across the world and help each other with projects - like an American group raising money for an African group to accomplish something in their immediate surroundings for the sake of conservation or animal welfare. Or groups will support an organization's efforts.

The animal group at this school raised money and sponsored several owls at the skyhunters raptor rehab center in San Diego. Wow! (www.skyhunters.com)

So I'm very encouraged. I'm also encouraged to see more and more books about the scentience and intelligence and individuality of animals. I think there is a new understanding of animals starting to coelesce and I'm thrilled to see it! It's way overdue!

Of course, in the United States, one cannot take in a wild animal without a permit. And with good reason, especially when it comes to birds of prey. They are not "pets". They will always be wild and they require very special handling and a committment that's far beyond that of a normal pet! So I didn't regard Wesley as a pet, but more as an other intelligent being, with a wild soul, from whom I could learn and with whom I shared my life. I'm not saying that I saw him merely as a subject to study, though. I loved him with my entire being, there's no question about that! It was just different than a "pet" in some ways. I didn't try to bend him to my will but just lived with him and allowed him to "inconvenience" me as he needed to in order to be himself as fully as possible within the constraints of captivity.

It's great to be back and it's wonderful hearing from you! Thank you all for your kind comments!

-Stacey

This week

Wendy here...
Stacey has been pretty sick with a virus this week, and sends apologies for late emails. She hasn't been on her computer. In spite of that, good things are happening. The sales for Wesley the Owl have been doing really great, and soon we'll be putting up a links page on our site filled with interesting bird of prey and wildlife organizations.

Stacey has been talking with the Hungry Owl Organization in San Francisco. They have an innovative program where people put up owl nesting boxes in areas overrun with rodents When the owls move in, they control the rodent population, eliminating the need for poisons. This is good for people, too! We're excited about all the wonderful contacts being made with imaginative organizations like this and we expect to have a great links page soon.

Wes Collectible Update

Hi all, Wendy here... I received the final Wesley prototype and I am so thrilled with him! Because I opted to make some final changes, the collectible will be arriving late December to early January. We originally hoped to have it by Christmas, but it was worth taking the time to perfect his design. This is one of the most fun creative projects I have done in a long time! We are now taking preorders for the collectible on the Wesley Site at www.wesleytheowl.com .
blessings,
:-)Wendy